Perhaps one of the most over prescribed and under researched medication administered by doctors and dermatologists are topical steroids. They can by applied in response to a wealth of problems, and they cover skin disorders and diseases such as psoriasis, eczema, acne, dermatitis, and rashes. What needs to first be asked is, how safe are they?

The common conception of topical steroids are that they are safe because they are administered by professionals within the medical industry. The reason they are so easily prescribed is because what they do is quickly alter the state of skin problems.

The reason they are so quickly effective is because their active property is rapidly absorbed into the skin cells. The next step they perform is to prevent the onslaught of inflammation-causing chemicals within the skin that usually are unleashed when it reacts to irritation or allergens.

What the effect is if left untreated is that the blood vessels are widened by these inflammation causing chemicals. This leads to swelling and redness. So the advantageous effect is that there is a greatly reduced inflammation caused by the prevention of this release from within the skin. Relief is provided for symptoms such as irritation. The problem lies in that topical steroids regularly elicit far more damaging side effects than the original condition they are treating.

HOW TOPICAL TREATMENTS ARE NOT THE BEST NATURAL AND EFFECTIVE ACNE TREATMENT TO ELIMINATE ACNE INFLAMMATION

The consequences can be grave and can include both internal and external side effects including:

- Raised blood pressure - Diabetes - Increased aggression - Anaphylactic shock - Birth defects - Blood clotting - Cancer - Cardiovascular disease - Depression - Gynecomastia

The side effects attributed to the skin are also severely troubling. Of the more alarming are:

- Stretch marks, striae, and the thinning of the skin - Easy bruising and tearing of the skin - Perioral dermatitis (rash around the mouth) - Enlarged blood vessels (telangiectasia) - A higher susceptibility to infections of the skin - Disguising infection including tinea incognito - Allergy to the steroid cream

As you can see, the list of side effects are far more damaging and life threatening than the original problems topical steroids are intended to remove. The great thing about natural skin treatments is that they are just as effective but without the negative side effects. For this reason alone, they are more recommended.